St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1887-06-25
THE RUTLAND GRAB CONTRA CTS
ILLEGAL, AND CAN
BE ANNULLED.
Union Parish Gazette.

!
to do an illegal act, and proposed to thu
school boards Of the parishes to enter
INTO an illegal contract, when he madt
the proposition to the school boards al
the State to collect the back Interest
due the several townships for a tee Oh
80 per cent.
We assert that the school b0ards
have no control over the township fund
Under the present system they dis
pense it, if called upon to do 80 by the
Inhabitants of the townships; and
thci, right TO this is Questionable.
The free school fund and the town
ship interest fund are both derived
from the proceeds of lands granted bv
the United States. The former il aD-
piled generally throughout the State,
while the latter fund is localized ivy
Act of Congress. approved Feb. -. 1913.
la this Act, Louisiana with other
States was authorized to provide by
law for the sale and conveyance in fec
simple, Of all OF any part ot the lands
heretofore reserved and appropriated
hv Congress for the use of schools in
said States: and to invest the money
arising from the sales thereof in some
productive fund, the proceeds of which
shall be forever applied, under the di-
and support of schools within the
several townships and districts Of cOun-
tly for which they were originally re
served and set apart, ana for no other
use and purpose whatever.
Provided, said land or any part
thereof, shall in no wise be- sold with
ont the consent of the inhabitants of
such township or district, to be oh
tanned in such manncr as the IegisIa-
lures OF said States shall by law direct ;
aud in the apportl0nment of the pro-
ceeds of said fund each township and
district shall be entitled to such part
thereof, and no more, rs Shall have aC
crutd from the sum or sums OF money
arising from the sale Of the school
funds belonging to such township or
district.
The Act further provides, THAT if
the proceeds acCrulng to any township
or district from said fund shall be in
sufficient for the support OF schools
therein. it shall be lawful for said
Legislatures to invest the same in the
most secure and productive manner,
until the whole proceeds OF the fund
belonging to such township or district
shall be adequate to the permanent
maintenance and support OF schools
within the samc: Provided, That the
LEGISLATURES aforesaid shall, III no case,
invest the proceeds Of the sale If the
lands in any township IN mAnner af0re-
said, with0nt the consent Of the Whdbj-
tants Of SAD totrnshjp or district to be
obtained rs Gt0rcsdd' (I1" italics are
nursl See Testers Land Laws, vol. /,
page 50.
The Act of Congress which we have
cited giving almost III full the text of
sections | and 3. call that pertains to
the isSne) concluSivcly shows that it
was the purpose Of the General Govern
ment to give the sixteenth sections or
the proceeds from their sales exclusives
~ in the control of the inhabitants of
the townships. tndrr these c0ndi-
tious our State has lcg'Stated ia all
that relates to the sale Of the sixteenth
from. This was done by the LegiSla-
lures of 1865 1853, and is found in the
Revised Statutes sections 1914 to 1919
inclusive. The latter reading as toll
lows: All moneys that have been or
may hereafter be received into the
State Treasury, and the interest that
has or may accrue thereon from the
sale of sixteenth sections Of shOnl lands,
or the school land warrants belonging
to the various townships in the State,
shall be placed to the credit of the
and should the people of
any township desire to receive, for the
use of the schools therein, the animal
interest payable by the State or funds
deposited to their credit, or the annual
of the loans, the Parish Treas
lreT shall, on the petition OF five legal
voters in any such township, order an
election to be held in the township az
provided for the sale of township lands;
md if a majority, or any number of
votes above seven, be in favor Of re-
:eiving annually the accruing interest, /,
Is aforesaid, the same shall be paid to !,
he Treasurer Of the parish for the use /
If the township or district; otherwise |
he interest shall be an accommodating !
'und to their credit until called for" I
Now can any intelligent reader show |
shadow of right in the school boards ,
o control or direct the township inter /
st fund.- We have asserted that they |
rave none, and the act of Congress, the /
egislation of our State under the con-
.resSi0nal act, suStalns Us. 1t Rutland |
md his convenient tool EaSt0n-Dar /
,obilc ,fut1um-had any knowledge ot
he school law. and it must be pre-
umed that they did have, they knew
hat the one was proposing and the
ther indorsing an illegal and nefariouS
ontract to be made with the school
boards who would bite without consi-
Grafton, and who had no right to en-
or into any contract whatever affecting
he township interest fuad.
The citizens. or as the act of Con
ress says, the inhabitants of the
ownship, can undo and we believe an
al every contract made by the school
GARD with Rutland. They can also by
etition present the whole matter
tfectng both Rutland and Easton to
he Attorney General of the State for
is action. Your children have been
pbbed of one half of fund which
to them, and is it not sniff
lent incentive for you to do your duty.